Glenn Hughes (sometimes known as The Voice of Rock) is an English rock bass… Read Full Bio ↴Glenn Hughes (sometimes known as The Voice of Rock) is an English rock bassist and vocalist, best known for playing bass and performing vocals for funk rock pioneers Trapeze, the Mk. III and IV line-ups of Deep Purple, as well as briefly fronting Black Sabbath in the mid-1980s.

Hughes has carved a distinctive vocal style blending the finest elements of hard rock, soul and funk. That astonishing voice is Hughes' calling card. He's known as a singer's singer: in fact, Stevie Wonder once called Hughes his favorite white singer.

Hughes, a native of Cannock, England, absorbed all kinds of influences, including early British hard rock, the Beatles and, most importantly, American soul and R&B. The sleek Motown sound from Detroit and the gritty Stax/Volt sound from Memphis left their mark on him.

The first important band Hughes was a member of that achieved notable success was Trapeze, while in 1973 he joined one of the most popular bands in the world, Deep Purple. The trailblazing hard-rock legends had just weathered the departure of vocalist Ian Gillan and bass guitarist Roger Glover, but guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, keyboardist Jon Lord and drummer Ian Paice continued with the addition of Hughes and David Coverdale. Any skepticism was squelched with the 1974 release of Burn. This stunning album rejuvenated the band and stands tall among Deep Purple classics.

In the halcyon days, Purple headlined at the famous California Jam in 1974 in front of quarter of a million people. World tours via Purple's own jet plane, 'The Starship' and two more studio albums later, (the Hughes influenced Stormbringer and Come Taste the Band), Deep Purple finally split in 1976.

Now living in Los Angeles, Hughes' first solo album Play Me Out was released in 1977. He joined former Pat Travers guitarist Pat Thrall to form Hughes/Thrall, which released an acclaimed self-titled album in 1982. Throughout the '80s and '90s, Hughes made countless guest appearances (both credited and un-credited) as a vocalist, bass guitarist or songwriter on other artists' albums, in particular he appeared on the vastly underrated Seventh Star, was officially credited as 'Black Sabbath Featuring Tony Iommi'. Hughes and Iommi remained friends and in the past few years they have released one brand new studio album together.

More commercial recognition came when the KLF dubbed Hughes 'The Voice of Rock', proudly featuring him on their international best selling hit single America- What Time is Love'

Since 1992, Hughes has toured extensively in Europe, Japan and South America in support of solo albums such as Blues, From Now On..., Feel, Addiction, The Way It Is, Return Of Crystal Karma, Building The Machine, Songs In The Key Of Rock, Soul Mover and Music For The Divine.

Soul Mover saw the continuation of the successful creative partnership with Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith that began with Glenn's live DVD Soulfully Live in the City of Angels (2004). Soul Mover was voted 12th best album of the year by highly influential UK magazine CLASSIC ROCK.

After the release of his album Music For The Divine in 2006, 2007 saw Hughes make successful tours of Russia, South America, Italy, Norway and Spain, along with solo dates in London - at the prestigious Shepherds Bush Empire - Bulgaria and Greece. 2007 also saw Hughes headline at festival appearances in France and Norway. Hughes also took part in the Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp in New York, which was highly successful and he also appeared as a guest presenter at the Classic Rock Awards in both 2006 and 2007. Another highlight of a diverse and colorful year were the 2 sold out solo shows at the famous Whisky in Los Angeles and BB King's in New York.

2008 saw Hughes undertake another extensive European tour; including a month long trek across Russia, festival appearances, and his first live shows in Belarus, Estonia and Romania. Another highlight was Hughes' appearance in London at the Childline Charity concert in March 2008 where he performed a short set of Deep Purple classics with Purple drummer Ian Paice. This was particularly poignant as it was the first time the pair had played together since the Purple days. Ironically, in June 2008, Hughes played in Liverpool, England for the first time in over 30 years; a triumphant and emotional return to the city where Deep Purple Mark IV played their final ever concert before disbanding in 1976.

Other highlights of 2008 include Hughes' live on air performance on the USA radio show Rockline, and his first appearance in New Zealand since 1975 with Deep Purple, when Hughes brought the house down at the G-Taranaki Festival in July.

Hughes' album, the 2008 release "First Underground Nuclear Kitchen"

Chad Smith again plays out of his skin on the drums, and Hughes has rarely - if ever - sounded more inspired, written with such grace, or sung with more passion.

Another world jaunt accompanied the release, carrying on into 2009 with tours of Europe, Russia, South America and selected shows in the States including sell out shows in LA and NYC.

2010 was one of the most exciting and prolific years in Hughes' career as it saw him recording and touring in a new supergroup project, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION with guitar star Joe Bonamassa, keyboard player Derek Sherinian (Dream Theatre) and drummer Jason Bonham, son of the late Led Zeppelin legend John Bonham. The band released their debut album on September 20th, 2010. The album went to #13 in the Official UK Album Chart and #1 in the Official UK Rock Album Chart. Produced and mixed by Kevin Shirley (Aerosmith, Iron Maiden, The Black Crowes, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, Journey etc), this is yet another world-class musical statement that raises the bar for rock singing.

In November 2010, Hughes was awarded the ChildLine Award at Classic Rock's Roll of Honour.

Hughes and Black Country Communion released their second album, "2", in 2011, followed shortly afterwards, by their debut live tour encompassing the USA, UK and Europe. Their third release, "LIVE OVER EUROPE", recorded live while on the European leg of their debut tour, reached the Top 5 spot world-wide with releases on DVD, CD, Blu-ray and Vinyl.

Hughes had his AUTOBIOGRAPHY published in 2011, in both hard and soft cover editions. The Number 1 best seller is available at all good retailers, both online and at traditional brick & mortar stores!

In November 2011, Black Country Communion won the prestigious Classic Rock Breakthrough Artist of the Year award at the Classic Rock Awards in London, with Glenn collecting the award on behalf of the band.

2012 saw Hughes touring Russia as a solo artist and also South America as a member of the Rock and Roll AllStars, featuring his good friends Gene Simmons, Matt Sorum, and Joe Elliot amongst others. Hughes also did solo shows and guest appearances in the UK, Israel, Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Russia, Ukraine, China and Armenia but his main focus in 2012 was the writing, recording and press promotion for the third Black Country Communion album, "AFTERGLOW". Released worldwide in late October 2012, and again produced by Kevin Shirley, the album was another huge success for the band, and is possibly the most Hughes dominated album of the three, with many of the songs written solely by Glenn.

2013 saw Hughes embarking on some exciting new projects, with the best yet to come from this most eclectic, talented and inspired musician and songwriter.

Haunted
Glenn Hughes Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Telephone ringing in the dead of night, I wake up cold as ice
I am not alone, she's here in spirit
Perfume lingers in the air, I can sense her everywhere

In the dark of night I lie here shaking, aching with love for you
Ooh... I am not afraid, you can take me, you can take me away
Through a doorway to another time
And place, I want to be in your space

Every night she comes around and breaks my heart again
Every time she visits me, I fall apart
Haunted, I'm in love with an illusion
Haunted, I can't handle this confusion
Haunted, haunted, haunted by you
Haunted, and I don't know what I'm going to do
Why do you haunt me?
Whoh.
Haunted, I'm in love... I'm in love... with you

In the lonely night I lie here breathing
Come into my mind again, possess, possess, possess me again
Through a doorway to another time and
Place, I just got to be in your space

Every night she comes around and breaks my heart again
Every time she visits me I fall apart
Haunted, I'm in love with an illusion
Haunted, I can't handle this confusion
Haunted, haunted, haunted by you
Haunted and I don't know what I'm gonna do

Every night she comes around and breaks my heart again
Every time she visits me I fall apart

Every night she comes around and breaks my heart again
Every time she visits me I fall apart

Overall Meaning

The song "Haunted" by Glenn Hughes explores the agony of a love that is no longer present physically, but still haunts the singer's every moment. The opening image of a ringing telephone in the middle of the night sets the stage for what is to come - a visitation from a ghostly presence, likely a former lover or partner. The lyrics convey the singer's confusion and longing as they struggle to come to terms with the fact that their love is gone, but the echoes of it remain. The repeated chorus of "Haunted, I'm in love with an illusion" speaks to the sense of unreality that the singer experiences - the person they love is not truly there, but their feelings for them persist nonetheless.

As the song progresses, the singer becomes more and more consumed by their obsession with the ghostly presence. They plead with it to "possess" them again, even though they know that this will only bring more pain. The final repetition of the chorus emphasizes the sense of confusion and despair that the singer feels, as they wonder why they are being haunted and what they can possibly do to ease their anguish. Overall, the lyrics to "Haunted" are a poignant exploration of the lingering power of love and the ways in which it can haunt us long after it is gone.

Line by Line Meaning

Telephone ringing in the dead of night, I wake up cold as ice
Waking up in the middle of night with the phone ringing, feeling a sudden chill as if something isn't right.

I am not alone, she's here in spirit
Feeling the presence of someone who is not physically there, but still knowing they are around in spirit.

Perfume lingers in the air, I can sense her everywhere
The lingering scent of someone who has been there before, feeling their presence everywhere in the air.

In the dark of night I lie here shaking, aching with love for you
Lying in the darkness, feeling the pain of love and longing for someone who isn't there.

Ooh... I am not afraid, you can take me, you can take me away
Being willing to go wherever this love takes, even if it means taking you away.

Through a doorway to another time and place, I want to be in your space
Wanting to escape with this love, to a different world, and be in their presence.

Every night she comes around and breaks my heart again
The pain of this love, as it continues to come around and break the heart every single night.

Haunted, I'm in love with an illusion
Feeling haunted by a love that may not be real, but still feeling its power.

Haunted, I can't handle this confusion
Feeling overwhelmed and confused by the intensity of this love that haunts.

Haunted, haunted, haunted by you
Being chased and tormented by this love that won't let go.

Haunted, and I don't know what I'm going to do
Feeling trapped and unable to escape the power of this love that haunts.

Why do you haunt me?
Wondering why this love continues to haunt, even when it may not be real.

Whoh.
An exclamation of frustration or confusion, reflecting the intense emotions of this haunted love.

Writer(s): DON AIREY, ROGER DAVID GLOVER, IAN GILLAN, STEVEN J. MORSE, IAN ANDERSON PAICE

Contributed by Scarlett J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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